Desperation can bring agony to one self | A Doll's House

 Henrik Ibsen:A Doll’s House

“Desperation can bring agony to oneself.” Using specific examples from Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, write a composition to justify the truth in this statement.

Introduction

Sometimes when one becomes desperate to get or do something they may end up suffering in the process. This is the case with characters such as Nora, Dr. Rank, Helmer and others in A Doll’s House.

 ILLUSTRATIONS

D (i) Krogstad is desperate to redeem his reputation through the job he has at the bank and in so doing he suffers a lot. He visits Nora frequently hoping to arm-twist her to put in a good word for him to retain the job. He threatens her with dire consequences through a court action if she would not do so. He reminds Nora of the discrepancy he had noted in the bond. However, instead of retaining the job, he gets fired.

D (ii) Helmer is desperate to maintain his manly dominance over Nora and this makes him suffer. He struggles to keep her in good moods by giving her money. He cautions her against associating with those regarded as morally diseased such as Krogstad. He coaches her on the Tarantella so as to have a stellar performance at the Stenborg’s and is disappointed when Nora doesn’t dance as he instructs. Finally, when Nora decides to walk out on him, he pleads with her to remain even if they were to behave like a brother and a sister. He asks if he even write to her but Nora refuses. In the he is embarrassed and sinks down in his chair when Nora leaves.

D (iii) Christine is desperate to save her ailing mother and help her siblings and in the process of doing so she suffers. She leaves Krogstad to marry a rich man that would afford him the money with which to make the end life of her mother bearable. In the end she fails to find fulfillment in that act. The man dies leaving her with not even a child. Even the business the man leaves behind goes under and her effort to start a school and a shop collapses. She ends up haggard looking to the extent that even her former classmate cannot recognize her. She also confesses to Krogstad that she is a ‘shipwreck.’(Pp 9-13; 87-88)

 D (iv) Nora’s efforts to hide the secret causes her agony. She has to save money from the little she gets for housekeeping to pay off the loan in secret. She juggles between giving the husband a good table and saving some money to pay the loan. She hides Krogstad from everybody around her and even when it is obvious that he has been entertaining Krogstad, he openly lies about it. She is forced to lie to her husband that he has (pg. 91) forgotten all the dance moves so that he can coach her again and in the process not read the letter that would reveal the secret. She contemplates suicide when she thinks the husband will know the secret. (13-19; 42-43; 61-62; 81-83)

 D (v) Dr. Rank is hell-bent on winning Nora’s love and this causes him agony. When he get the chance with Nora, he whips up her sympathy by talking about his eminent death and flirts with her. He is desperate to have Nora in his arms. On noticing his ill intentions, Nora rebukes him for his ill manners. (63-70; 97-99)

D (vi) Nora’s effort to get a loan to save her husband makes her suffer. She pleads with her husband to take a loan but he declines. She cannot take the loan herself because the society doesn’t allow women to secure loans without their husband’s consent. At the time of the loan she was pregnant with her first child her father was also sick. Desperate to save the husband’s life at the time her father was also sick, she forges the father’s signature to secure the loan. (Pp. 13-21; 38-41)

 Conclusion

Sometimes when we are desperate for something we may end up hurting ourselves.